Books with title Tao Te Ching

The Tao Te Ching is a Chinese classic text traditionally credited to the 6th-century BC sage Lao Tzu. The text's authorship, date of composition, and date of compilation are debated. The oldest excavated portion dates back to the late 4th century BC, but modern scholarship dates other parts of the text as having been written - or at least compiled - later than the earliest portions of the Zhuangzi. The Tao Te Ching, along with the Zhuangzi, is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism. It also strongly influenced other schools of Chinese philosophy and religion, including Legalism, Confucianism, and Buddhism, which was largely interpreted through the use of Taoist words and concepts when it was originally introduced to China. Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and gardeners, have used the Tao Te Ching as a source of inspiration. Its influence has spread widely outside East Asia and it is among the most translated works in world literature.

The Tao Te Ching is a classic Chinese text written around the 6th century BC by Laozi, a Zhou-dynasty courtier. While its authorship is debated, the text remains a fundamental building block of Taoism and one of the most influential works of its time. Today it's one of the most-translated works in the world. The work itself is a series of 81 short poetic sections, each one written in a fluid, ambiguous style, leaving them open to wide interpretation. Subjects range from advice to those in power to advice to regular people and adages for daily living. Because of its ambiguous nature the Tao Te Ching is famously difficult to translate, and many, if not all, translations are significantly influenced by the translator's state of mind. This translation is by James Legge, a famous Scottish sinologist and the first professor of Chinese at Oxford University.

The Tao Te Ching is a Taoist philosophical treatise. Lao Tzu, a great Ancient Chinese philosopher and teacher, is considered to be the author of this book. We owe this book to an unnamed guardian who kept safe the far western borders of a country, Zhou in the fifth century BC. The legend says that exhausted from misunderstanding Teacher with a tired heart went on his last journey - to die in a dessert. The guardian recognized great Lao Tzu, called him by name and, nobody knows how, persuaded the wise man to tell a world about Dao and De. "When you said Dao, you said nothing", the teacher replied. And you were wrong: five thousand words, that contains this book, have been existing for two and a half thousand years...

The Tao Te Ching has a long and complex textual history. Known versions and commentaries date back two millennia, including ancient bamboo, silk, and paper manuscripts discovered in the 20th century. The Tao Te Ching is a fundamental text for both philosophical and religious Taoism. The name Tao Teo Ching translates into English as The Book of the Way and of Virtue.

Written more than two thousand years ago, the scripture on Tao and Virtue is a guide to cultivating a life of peace, serenity, and compassion. It is the foundational philosophical work of all Taoism and one of the true classics of spiritual literature. Usually translated as the "Way", the Tao is the mysterious process through which everything in the Universe happens. The Tao Te Ching is actually the second-most translated book after the Bible.

The Tao Te Ching is fundamental to the Taoist school of Chinese philosophy and strongly influenced other schools, such as Legalism and Neo-Confucianism. This ancient book is also central in Chinese religion, not only for Taoism but Chinese Buddhism, which when first introduced into China was largely interpreted through the use of Taoist words and concepts. Many Chinese artists, including poets, painters, calligraphers, and even gardeners have used the Tao Te Ching as a source of inspiration. Its influence has also spread widely outside East Asia, aided by hundreds of translations into Western languages.